


A Season for Love

by Silverilly



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Stockings, Gen, Happy, Love, Portal Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:04:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverilly/pseuds/Silverilly
Summary: It's time for Chell to open up her Christmas stocking.





	A Season for Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [isntfateartistic (Tumblr)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=isntfateartistic+%28Tumblr%29).



> This is my 2018 Portal Secret Santa gift! My recipient was Tumblr user isntfateartistic, who asked for Chell getting some rest.

The stocking was the prettiest, Christmasiest thing she had ever seen. It was smooth, made luxurious with deep red velvet, accented with a huge, shimmering golden bow. Peeking over its fat form was a soft and worn stuffed mouse, its eyes beady and inviting. The mouse was for her. The entire stocking, nearly bursting with gifts, was for her.

With careful precision so as not to spill anything, Chell lifted the stocking from the wall (fireplace not included) and pulled it into her arms. She sat on the ground and nestled it in her lap, allowing herself just one more moment to appreciate its beauty. It seemed to radiate a warmth and a light that felt so rare in this world—except, for Chell, when it was Christmas. She knew that for some, Christmas was a difficult time of the year, but for Chell...

She couldn't wait much longer. Finally, she lifted the little mouse from its perch, breaking in the stocking and holding the soft doll close. It had definitely been used and loved by someone before, and where its fur had worn away it was even softer. She hugged it, thanked it, and kept it between her body and the stocking. She wouldn't let something so precious get far.

With the mouse out of the way, Chell could now see several more packages, all neatly enveloped in bright gold wrapping paper. When she pulled out the first wrapped gift, it reflected the sun from the window of her little shack, gleaming into her eyes. She turned it slightly, enjoying how the light bounced and changed, even leaving a little reflected ray of light across the room.

Turning the gift over, she found little pieces of tape holding its wrapping in place. Chell inched her cracked fingernails underneath the adhesive and gently pulled it away, piece by piece. It peeled satisfactorily, leaving the shiny paper completely intact. There would be no tearing today.

As Chell unfolded the paper, a creamy white caught her eye, and she soon revealed a fresh bar of soap that was still in its package. The little smile on her face widened slightly as she examined her new gift. She could almost feel a shower—a _hot_ shower, the warmth raining down on her as she scrubbed into her grimy, hardened skin. She could almost feel the dirt melting away, swirling in a pool at her feet and seeping down the drain until the water ran clear. Chell imagined her skin, clean and fresh, her hair eventually drying silky and soft instead of hanging limp from sweat in her ponytail.

Running water, Chell had learned, was something of the past. Everything in this world, everything outside of Aperture, was different now. But she knew how to heat water, and she could even draw a hot bath for herself with a little bit of work. And with soap, she would be clean.

With these images running through her head, Chell set the soap down beside her, placing the intact wrapping paper on her other side. Then, with a rush running through her chest and belly, she dove into her stocking for more.

The next package, when unveiled, turned out to be a small paperback book. It made her feel giddy to look at this little story, designed purely for leisure. Sometimes, Chell could now afford some rest. It would be so good to fall into another world, one that was neither a barren wasteland nor an ivory torture chamber. It would be so good to rest.

Next came a toothbrush and toothpaste—rare finds in times like this. But a clean mouth, Chell knew, could make the difference between a bearable day and a terrible one. Then there was a little bag of carefully gathered herbs and spices, all found little by little through a long, long journey. A warm pair of socks, costume jewellery (a blue bracelet and matching—matching!—necklace), and...

Chell nearly squealed as she uncovered the bright purple bottle containing bubbles. Bubbles! Soapy, indulgent, silly, childish bubbles. There was still one thing left in her stocking, but she couldn't help it; she had to put the sock aside and unscrew the lid of her new toy. Holding the wand in the air, she peered through it, admiring the rainbow she could see within the mixture. Then, pursing her lips, she gently blew.

Soft as a butterfly, a little stream of bubbles glided from the wand. Some were small, some big, catching a slight breeze from the open window to carry themselves across the room. She poked a finger out to catch one of them, popping it instantly in a wet burst of soap. A full laugh erupted from her throat, and for a while she could only watch and play with the rainbow orbs surrounding her.

Finally, she screwed the cap back on the bottle, placing it neatly with the other presents (except the mouse, which she still had close to her heart). She would save the rest for when she needed it—but oh, how she had needed it just now. Finally, finally, she reached into the toe of the scarlet stocking, pulling out an equally red and equally inviting apple. As she turned it over in her hands, her eyes brimmed with tears. There were no bruises, not so much as a pockmark on this perfect little fruit.

In time, away from Aperture and laser beams and adrenal vapour and survival, memories of Before had begun to renew themselves within her head. She couldn't remember all of them, but now, surrounded by quiet and nature and survival, she knew a little more about what Before had been like. Before, there had always been a juicy orange stuffed into the toe of her stocking. Chell remembered how she'd wiggled in excitement for that orange, bought with her own money at the corner store every year. She remembered how joyful it had been just knowing that buying this now, she was guaranteeing herself a special moment on Christmas—a moment of love.

This year, oranges weren't around for Chell to raid. But she'd found an apple tree, an incredible luxury, and had known exactly what to do with it. And she took in the red of the apple now, and the red of the stocking that she had found months ago, giving her the idea of Christmas in the first place. Today had taken months for her to prepare.

Chell held the apple, but didn't take a bite. Not yet. She wanted to savour this moment, to savour the day that she had made for herself. And here, nestled up to all the gifts she'd given herself, she was awash with love and with a thought.

_Merry Christmas, Chell._


End file.
